Abstract
The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders has been steadily rising. In most parts of the world, rates as high as 1 % are
reported, including in the United States. In Israel, previously reported prevalence rates have been in the 0.2 % range, and
were based on parental reporting of diagnosis. In this study, records from one of the largest Israeli Health Maintenance organizations
were used to calculate both incidence and prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Israel. Israeli prevalence of ASD
was calculated at 0.48 % for 1–12 years olds and 0.65 % for 8 year old children in 2010, higher than previous Israeli reports,
but still lower than prevalence estimates for the US. Incidence calculations ranged from 0.65 to 0.84 per 1,000 children for
children 1–12 year olds. Reasons for these differences are suggested and discussed.
reported, including in the United States. In Israel, previously reported prevalence rates have been in the 0.2 % range, and
were based on parental reporting of diagnosis. In this study, records from one of the largest Israeli Health Maintenance organizations
were used to calculate both incidence and prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Israel. Israeli prevalence of ASD
was calculated at 0.48 % for 1–12 years olds and 0.65 % for 8 year old children in 2010, higher than previous Israeli reports,
but still lower than prevalence estimates for the US. Incidence calculations ranged from 0.65 to 0.84 per 1,000 children for
children 1–12 year olds. Reasons for these differences are suggested and discussed.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Paper
- Pages 1-9
- DOI 10.1007/s10803-012-1611-z
- Authors
- Michael Davidovitch, Child Neurology and Development, Child Development Center, Jerusalem and Shfela District, Maccabi Healthcare Services, 1 Lishanski Street, Rishon Lezion, Israel
- Beatriz Hemo, Department of Research and Evaluation, Maccabi Healthcare Services, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Patricia Manning-Courtney, The Kelly O’Leary Center for ASD, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Eric Fombonne, Canada Research Chair in Child Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Journal Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
- Online ISSN 1573-3432
- Print ISSN 0162-3257